'Storage, Not Surrender': Hamas Rejects Disarmament Framing of Gaza Deal

Khaled Qaddoumi: the proposal covers heavy weapons held under Palestinian authority — and only if Israel withdraws, opens the crossings and lets aid in first

Hamas has rejected characterisations of the newly announced Gaza agreement as a disarmament deal, saying the proposal concerns only the storage of heavy weapons under Palestinian authority and is conditional on Israel meeting its own obligations.

Khaled Qaddoumi, the movement’s representative in Iran, said the framing widely used in media reports misrepresents what was offered. “There is no question of surrendering or relinquishing weapons,” he said. “What we specifically offered was to discuss the gathering or storage of heavy weapons under a Palestinian administrative authority — from Palestinian factions to a Palestinian authority. No authority other than a Palestinian one has any role in this matter.”

The remarks follow Hamas’s announcement that it had agreed to a phased deal intended to bring the war on Gaza to a complete end. The proposal, announced by US President Donald Trump after mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United States finalised a roadmap for the next phase of the ceasefire, sets out a mechanism under which heavy weapons, military production sites, depots and tunnel infrastructure would be inventoried and stored under a Palestinian National Committee while Israeli forces withdraw in stages. Israel has not publicly endorsed it.

‘An inherent right’

Qaddoumi rejected the suggestion that the movement was stepping back from resistance. “It is not a relinquishment of weapons. It is not an isolated step. It is not a withdrawal from, or retreat from, the concept of resistance,” he said.

Resistance in all its forms, he argued, “is an inherent right of any nation living under occupation — especially the Palestinian people, who have lived under occupation for nearly a century,” adding that they have the right to defend themselves by whatever means they judge appropriate, including armed resistance.

Any discussion of weapons, he stressed, depends entirely on Israel implementing the rest of the agreement — “the withdrawal of its forces, the opening of the border crossings, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the complete cessation” of the assault. Israel would also have to allow the Palestinian National Committee into Gaza to administer civilian affairs, oversee reconstruction and prepare for “a political electoral process that will ultimately lead to an independent Palestinian state.”

“Only within that framework and according to those benchmarks can any discussion regarding weapons take place,” he said. “Beyond that, there is no such thing as the resistance relinquishing its weapons.”

‘We have every right to be skeptical’

Asked whether Hamas trusted Washington or Israel to honour the agreement, Qaddoumi was blunt. “There is no such thing as trust or confidence. Historical experience has not been positive when dealing with the Americans or the Israelis.”

He pointed to the record since the ceasefire took effect: more than 1,200 civilians killed, crossings still closed, humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials still blocked, and the Palestinian National Committee formed in Egypt still not permitted to enter Gaza. “On the one hand, President Trump, before the whole world, proposed this ceasefire agreement, saying that the genocide would stop. It did not stop,” he said. “That’s why we’re skeptical. We have every right to be.”

The composition of Israel’s governing coalition, he added, offered little encouragement. Figures such as Itamar Ben-Gvir openly say the proposals fail to meet Israel’s demands, he noted — “but what are Israel’s demands?” In his reading, Netanyahu is driven by the need to remain in power and his far-right partners by the conviction that Palestinians have no right to remain in Gaza at all. “With such a mentality, hope is very scarce.”

Even so, Hamas has continued to negotiate. “With an open mind and a good heart, we entered these negotiations to prevent the genocide from resuming. We sought to achieve a fair political solution for our people.”

‘Nothing more to give’

Qaddoumi said the burden had now shifted away from the Palestinian side. “At this point, nobody should ask the Palestinians to give anything more, because the Palestinian side has already given everything that was asked of it. There is nothing more to give.”

“Now it is time for the guarantors,” he said. “It is time for the President of the United States to put sufficient pressure on Israel to abide by its commitments.” He called on the international community to create mechanisms to move the process forward “rather than allowing the genocide to resume.”

He also emphasised that the position reflects agreement across the Palestinian factions. “The latest statement announcing a positive step toward strengthening the ceasefire stems from Palestinian consensus. Our brothers in Islamic Jihad and the other Palestinian factions were with us in Egypt, and we discussed it together.” The question of weapons, he added, “is an entirely Palestinian issue that concerns the future shape of Palestine, its political life, and how Palestinians choose to address these matters.”

Remembering Haniyeh

The interview came in the week marking the second anniversary of the assassination of former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Tehran on 31 July 2024, a day after attending President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inauguration.

“Those great people gave their lives for a noble cause,” Qaddoumi said. “Martyr Haniyeh himself said that there is a price for this cause and this responsibility. We carry this responsibility knowing that the price will be heavy and that our lives are at stake.”

He closed by recalling words delivered by Khalil al-Hayya — now the movement’s leader — at Haniyeh’s funeral in Tehran: that the enemy was deluded to think Hamas would be diverted from its path, and that those who gave their lives did so for a reason. “Martyrdom is a school that teaches us how to live,” he said. “Today, we are strong enough to carry the flag of those great people and move forward toward the development of our people and our nation.”

According to Gaza’s health authorities, the war has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured over 174,000 since October 2023, most of them women and children, with 90 percent of civilian infrastructure damaged or destroyed. The UN estimates reconstruction costs at around $70 billion.

Reference: PressTv